"Yeah, yeah, I hear you!" The winch on the old fishing boat
groaned and creaked as it was turned to full speed. Smoke began to belch
as it continued hauling in the large net that was dragging in the ocean far
below.

"I'm not
sure the winch can take it!"

The captain was
not daunted. "It'll take it! Just relax already!"

"Relax? We haven't gotten a big load in two weeks! We need to
hit big on this one Frank!"

At that moment
the boat shook violently as the net caught something. The winch screamed
as it tried to haul up the net.

"Whoa!"
The captain ran inside the bridge and shut off the ships engine. Joe ran
to the end of the boat and looked down. Seeing anything was impossible
with the thick and dark water below him.

"I think we
may have just gotten your big one captain!"

***

The next twenty
minutes became an agonizing wait as the overworked little winch pulled up the
net. Whatever was in it was big. Really big…and really heavy.

"You ever
encounter something this heavy before?"

"No.
You?"

"Nope."
The two men looked down at the water. Frank's eyes focused on the choppy
water. Then something came into view. "There!" He
shouted, pointing at the mass appearing below them.

The net slowly
came into view. Much to the two's disappointment, there was no fish in it.
Instead, there was a single, shiny object caught in the net. Although it
was still far below the surface, both men got the impression that it was human
sized.

Sure enough, when the net came up a minute later, they saw what was in their
net. "By Neptune's beard…" Frank whispered.

"What on
earth is that?" Joe asked.

There was what appeared to be a casket on the net. But it was unlike any
casket either of the men had ever seen. It was human shaped, complete with
curves, neck, and head. Constructed of
stainless steel, it was quite beautiful. Joe cautiously
reached out and touched it. The surface was smooth and shiny. On the
side of the casket, where the thing seemed to come together, there was a hard,
clear substance covering it. The same went for the thing's face.

But what was most
disturbing about this casket was the heavy ball and chain tied around the
ankles. The chain was rusty, as was the heavy ball locked around it.

"What do you
make of that Joe?" Frank asked quietly.

"I don't
know. Apparently somebody wanted this out here in the water."
He eyed the silver body casket for a few more moments. "Why don't we
cut it open and find out what's inside?"

"Sounds good
to me."

***

Several minutes
later, the casket was lying on the deck, the two sailors using tough saws to
hack away at the clear, solid goop that was keeping them from getting to the
locks and bolts. It took almost two hours, but at last they were able to
cut it away.

With the hardened
goop cut away, they began to undo the locks and the bolts. When they could
not undo a lock, they cut it or sawed it off instead. It was tiring,
back-breaking work, but at last the final lock was cut away and fell to the deck
in a heap.

Grabbing the upper half of the casket, the two sailors pulled at it. With
a thud, it fell off, revealing the contents inside.

"Good God!"

There was a woman
inside the body casket. Whether she was alive or not, the men could not
tell. She was wrapped head to toe in grimy, gunky bandages. If they
had once been white, they were now an ugly grayish black. Only the woman's
eyes were unwrapped. The skin of her eyelids was a dark grey.

Without speaking
the two men picked up the bandaged body and carried it into the cabin onboard
the ship. Gently putting the body on the bed, knives were taken out and
the bandages were cut away, revealing the body they contained.

The woman's body too, was a deathly grey color. Her skin was thin and
clung to her thin and shriveled form. There was dried and caked on faeces and urine near her crotch.

The men couldn't
tell if she was breathing nor not.

"Do you
think she's alive?" Joe asked. Frank didn't reply. He
slowly reached down and touched the woman's neck, recoiling at the cold and
clammy skin.

Lying in the
darkness, unable to move, completely alone, cut off from everyone and
everything….alone in silence and stillness…

Had she died?
She couldn't tell…alive or dead, she was in hell…

All alone…

Completely
alone…

The air had
gone stale, then thick, then almost impossible to breathe. Every breath
had been a struggle, every desperate rasp of her lungs brought her closer and
closer to utter insanity…

No food to
eat, and only the sweat she could suck out of her bandages. Faeces and
urine pouring out of her, the utter humiliation of having to put up with it,
with no hope of escape…

After an
eternity, she felt death coming at last. After time in this dark and
silent hell, death was a welcome friend. So she had closed her eyes and
given up, ready and willing to die…

But then the
light…

That bright,
bright light…

Come back to
life…

…NOO!!!!!!"

***

The woman let out an ear splitting shriek that didn't seem possible for a person
in her state. Her bone thin hands covered her eyes as she writhed back and
forth on the bed, screaming in sheer agony.

"Joe!"
Frank shouted. "Turn off the lights! Cover the windows!"
For once in his life,

Joe didn't argue
as he ran through the tiny cabin, turning off all the sources of light until it
was completely dark inside the cabin.

At last the woman
stopped screaming. She was breathing hard, taking in deep gulps of air as
if this was her first time breathing. After five minutes she stopped.
It was another two minutes before she spoke.

"Where…am…I?"
she rasped, her voice barely audible. She sounded dead.

"You're on a
boat off the coast mam." Frank said quietly. "We just cut
you out of that silver case you were in."

Silence.

"Am…I…dead?"

"No, you're
not dead. Though you got really close to doing so."

Silence.

"What…day…is…is…it?"

"Thursday."

More silence.
The woman moaned. "A…week…" she sighed, almost inaudible.

"Mam?"

More silence.
Then the woman suddenly sat up in bed, and if the lights were on the two men
would have seen her shrunken eyes bulging out of their sockets in anger.

"I
AM GOING TO KILL MARIO!!!"

***

It took a few
minutes for the men to calm the woman down, to try and get to relax, to rest.
It took a while, but at last the woman quieted down, and her raw anger turned to
heartbreaking sobs.

She grabbed at
Joe, the one closest to her. She grabbed him around the waist and sobbed
like a baby, pouring out tears for over ten minutes. Tears of untold
sorrow and misery, of relief and unparalled joy.

Then, unable to
take any more, she fainted.

Joe didn't waste
any time. Running up to the bridge she turned on the engine and
immediately sped off towards land.

Frank tried to
wake the woman up, but she could not be roused.

Was the lady going to live or die? Frank didn't know. All they could
do was wait.

***

When Julia opened
her eyes again, she was no longer in the dark place where the voiced had talked
to her. There was light here, but it was not hard. It was soft and
inviting. So it was with the thing underneath her back. What was
it…oh yes, a…a…dang, what was it called...a mattress. Yes…that was
right.

"Mrs.?"
She looked over to her left. There were two men there. For a split
second she thought they were thugs, coming back to drag her into hell. But
she didn't recognize them. They didn't match anyone Mario had employed.

"Are you all
right Miss?"

She groaned.
Her eyes felt so heavy, so tired. All she wanted to do was give up and
fall back into the blessed darkness and warmth that was within her reach.
But…she was curious at the same time.

"Where am I?" She asked. Though her voice was no longer
raspy or drawn out, it was still weary.

"You're at
the hospital miss. You've been here for a week. Sleeping mostly.
We weren’t sure you were going to make it."

"Maybe I
shouldn't have." She mumbled. She groaned. "So,
what's the diagnosis?"

The men were
quiet for a second. "Well, if you work at it, you'll live."

"That's a
first step I suppose." She said quietly.

"But I'm
afraid your skin is no longer going to be the color it once was."
Julia looked down at herself. Her skin was no longer a tannish color.
It was grey. She looked like a corpse, with all the needles, tubes and who
knows what going into her skin.

"You
mean…this is permanent?"

Frank nodded
quietly. "I'm afraid so. I'm sorry."

There was no
emotional outburst this time. There was no screaming, no crying, no
sobbing. Just a horrible, horrible emptiness.

But ever so
slowly, that emptiness began to fill with rage, hatred and anger. A desire
for revenge. Yes, that was it…revenge.

Sweet, sweet
revenge…

***

Over the next
three days, Julia was given food and water, letting her body build itself back
up. Her muscles slowly came back, as did her strength. Julia was silent throughout the entire treatment. She only spoke when
asked a question. The rest of the
time, she was completely silent. Unknown to anyone around her, she was
already planning the downfall of the Godfather that had gotten her here in the
first place.

When she was
released on the fourth day, Frank took her to his small home, where he helped
her exercise and recuperate from her ordeal. Julia was silent as he led
her around his house. "Now, this is where you're going to be
staying," he said as he showed her the guest bedroom. "Is this
okay for you?"

Julia looked at
the room. "Yes." She muttered.

"Oh good.
Why don't we find you some clothes for you to wear?"

When it came to
choosing what to wear, Julia choose the billowy, robe like clothes, mostly to
cover her grey skin. "Ah, the gothic type?" Frank asked.

"No. I just prefer many layers of clothing." Julia said.

"Ah.
Well, personal choice is always a big factor in life, no?"

***

That night, the
two were eating dinner. "I hope you like Spinach puffs."
Frank said. "I cooked them up myself! They're my own special
recipe you know!" Julia looked at the less then appetizing rolls and
tried to keep from gagging. Oh well, maybe it was the thought that
counted.

"They're
nice." She said with a faint smile.

"Really?"
Frank asked, his face blushing. "Oh that's great! I can get you
the recipe if you want."

As the two
continued to eat, Julia's eyes browed the pictures on the walls. One in
particular, caught her eye.

"That's a lovely woman." She said.

Frank turned and
looked at the portrait. It was of him and a smiling woman, standing side
by side. "Oh yes, that's my wife Jane."

"Where is she?"

Frank was
uncomfortably quiet. "She's dead." He said quietly.
"She died a year ago while on a boating trip with me. The trawler
sank and she drowned."

"I'm…I'm
sorry to hear that."

Frank gave a weak
smile. "That's okay. One has to move on I guess. Pick up
the pieces, do what you can with what you've got. You know, if there's one
thing I've learned is that when you focus your mind on a goal, you can
accomplish anything. I guess that's how I got through all this."

While he went on
about the difficulties in adapting to the life of a single, Julia grinned
silently. Frank's words rang true in her mind. With her goal in
mind, the death of Mario, she would be able to accomplish anything.

"By the way,
how's your skin?"

"Not good. It seems to have gotten greyer as
the days go by. These injections aren't helping."

"Aw come on.
We gotta get that fixed! Here, let's try another injection."
Taking a syringe, Frank came over and looked for a vein. "You want to
try it?"

Julia nodded. Finding a good spot, Frank injected the clear fluid. "There
we go!" He said. "Good as new! With any luck,
that'll get your skin back to normal in a short time!"

Julia looked at
her host with a sly smile. "Do you ever stop talking?"

"No. My wife pointed that out too."

***

She made her move
that evening. Waiting until her host was snoring loudly, she slowly put on
her two trenchcoats, buttoned them up, and silently made her way out of the
house, leaving only a note on the table. "Don't follow me."

So she went
through the streets of New York, heading towards a very specific destination.
In addition to being the godfather of New York City, Mario also happened to be
quite the technology buff. So when she arrived at the pizza parlor, she went straight on through to the
back, towards a broom closet. Bushing aside a fake panel, she typed in the
secret six digit code. Immediately, the
wall sprung back, revealing a hidden staircase.

Walking down the stairs, she arrived in a dark room filled with shelves. A
small man came towards her. "Who might you be?" He asked,
focusing his glasses. "I don't recognize you."

She looked at him with contempt. "I am the ghost." She
said quietly. "I'm here for some of Mario's stuff. He sent
me."

"Ah yes, he
did say to expect someone like you. Here, let me show you what we have.
Over here we have this little tranquilizer pistol. You do want a
non-lethal weapon, correct?"

"Yes, that's
correct."

"Oh good.
And over here we have some incapacitating sleep gas grenades. Oh yes, and
here we have the sticky gun."

"Sticky
gun?"

"Yes, one of
our most powerful tools. Here, let me show you." He picked up a
small, but fat grenade launcher type gun. "You see that dummy over
there?"

"Yes."

"Watch
this." Aiming the fat gun carefully, the little man fired it.

FWOMP

Instantly a
gigantic wad of sticky goo shot out of the barrel. It slammed into the
dummy and immediately enveloped it in the sticky goo.

There was the
sound of the hidden door shifting. Looking over, Julia and the small man
saw three men in suits coming down the stairs. They looked up and stared
at the two.

"Julia."
One of them said. "Mario sends you his welcome. He asks if you
enjoyed your bath."

"Oh
really?" Julia asked. "Well, why don't I tell you what I
thought of it? It stank, it was uncomfortable and it was rotten."

The thug smiled.
"Well, he asks if you're ready for another bath anytime soon. Are
you?"

Julia glared at
him. "Well, why don’t I show you what I think of your boss and his
offer?"

Raising her
tranquilizer pistol, Julia fired. The needle went straight into the thug's
forehead, knocking him out like a light.

“One down, two
to go." Julia smiled.

The other two
pulled out their pistols and fired at the woman, who quickly rolled behind a
table. Grabbing one of the sleep gas grenades, she pulled the primer and
chucked it across the room. There was a loud explosion as gas filled one
corner of the room. A loud thud followed as another thug fell to the
floor.

"Two down,
one to go." Julia said with amusement.

The last thug
quickly crossed the room, firing his pistol as he went. When it ran out,
he simply pulled out another one and kept firing. Rounding the corner of
the table, he expected to find Julia, alone and defenseless.

Instead, he found
himself looking at the barrel of a gun.

FWOMP.

The pink goo
enveloped the man. Startled, he fell to the ground, where he instantly
stuck fast. Slinging the gun over he shoulder, Julia got up and smiled at
the man, who was squirming in the goo that encased him. "You can tell
your boss," Julia said. "That I'm out looking for him.
Comprendae?"

Considering how
the goo was filling his mouth, it was no surprise that the thug couldn't speak.

Several minutes
later, Julia finished her last task of the night. Throwing the last empty
roll of duct tape away, she looked at the taped thugs on the ground, both still
unconscious. Their wrapped and bound forms would send a strong message to
Mario no doubt.

The little man
poked his head out of a cabinet. "Oh, you're uh…quite welcome I
suppose."

Thankfully, Julia
managed to make it back to Frank's house before he woke up. Sneaking back
into the house (Being careful to find her note and tear it up), she hid the toys
and got back into her bed.

She managed to
catch a few hours of sleep before Frank came into the room. "Good
morning!" He said. "Are we feeling better today?"

Julia yawned.
"Oh yes." She said. "Much, much better."

"Well that's
great! I've got lots of activities planned today. Maybe a trip to
the petting zoo can help cheer you up!"

***

The rest of the
day went by quietly. Using her talents, Julia was able to keep up her
innocent disguise of the poor little woman who was still recovering from her
terrible ordeal. The two did go to
the petting zoo that morning, where Frank immediately disintegrated into a
bawling mass at seeing all the adorable animals. Though she had
never cared for animals, Julia did find herself smiling as she petted and
stroked an inquisitive goat.

"Isn't this
great?" Frank asked. "Do you feel any better Julia?"

It was at that
moment that Julia's tough guy image began to break apart. "Well…to
be honest, yes."

"Aw, that's
great! Hey, come back here pig!"

Julia couldn't
help but chuckle as she watched her host chase after a pig. The only thing
that disturbed the moment was the man in a dark suit lurking outside Frank's
line of sight. She recognized
him instantly. He wore the outfit of Mario's thugs. He saw her too,
and quickly vanished before she could shout out.

Instinctively she
stepped towards Frank, to warn him about the thugs. But as she did, she
stopped.

Should she tell Frank about him? "No." She decided.
"Best not to get him involved in this." But what was the
man doing there? Julia didn't get the impression that he was out to get
her.

"Hey, I got
you!" Frank said as he grabbed the pig, who squealed loudly.

That evening
dinner was quiet and cheerful, much like the previous evening, with Frank doing
most of the talking.

"And so the
bartender says to the mouse, "Hey little fellow, where you going to put
that grenade?"

The two laughed at the punchline of the joke, sharing a moment of merriment.
"Wow, you really like my jokes?" Frank asked.

"Oh yes, why not? They are quite funny."

"Oh that's
great. You know, my wife always laughed at my jokes. It's been such
a long time since I was able to make someone laugh."

"Well, I
have read that laughter is the best medicine." Julia said. As
Frank began to start another joke, Julia glanced at the window and froze.

The man was there again. He only appeared at the window for one brief
moment. And again, he vanished when she saw him. Looking as calm as
possible, she glanced at Frank. He was still telling his joke, completely
oblivious to the game going on around him.

Though she was a
tough nut to crack, Julia was starting to get worried. Mario and his thugs
were up to something. She didn't know what it was, but she had no doubt
that it was big.

"Here, you
ready for another injection?"

"I don't know." Julia said. "My skin hasn't improved
at all."

"Ah,
balderdash. I'm sure it'll get better after this one."

After the shot
the two continued to joke for a while, then quietly went to bed.
"Good night Julia." Frank said. "Sleep well!"

"Thank you
Frank." She said. "Here, why don't you take this."

"Take
what?"

She answered by
kissing him on the cheek. "Just a little goodnight kiss."

Frank smiled as well. "Well then, I guess there's going to be a lot
of jokes in this house from now on!"

***

The next morning
had a great surprise in store for Julia. For once, Frank did not wake her.
Instead, the wind did, for her window was wide open. And on the desk next
to her bed lay an envelope.

Who had sent it?
There were no marks on the envelope itself.

Opening the
envelope, Julia read it's contents. "Dear Julia," it
said. "I am aware of your fight against Godfather Mario and I wish
to be a part of it. I can help you if you desire aid in your quest to
bring him down. If you want my aid, come to the alleyway behind Marino's
diner at noon today. Come alone."

Julia was silent
as Frank administered her morning injection of skin restorer (it still wasn't
working) and as she ate her breakfast. Her quietness did not go unnoticed.
"Are you all right Julia?" Frank asked. "You
seem…well…more quiet then usual."

She looked up at him and smiled. "It's
nothing really." She said. "I'm going to be going out for
a walk at noon today."

"Oh, okay.
I'm going to be out getting some groceries. Do you happen to like apple
sauce?"

Another smile.
"Yes, that'll be nice."

"Berry
flavored, or normal flavor?"

Another smile.
"Berry please."

***

Shortly after Frank left for the store a few hours later, Julia put on her
trench coats and a hat. Setting off into the streets of New York City, she
headed for Marino's. The trip there was uneventful, save for the usual
stares at her grey skinned face.

"Yes,"
she thought. "Look at me. Look at the ghost who will take
its revenge on the godfather."

The alleyway came
into sight in front of her. Quickening her pace, she went into it.

Looking around,
she saw no one, save for a stray cat that poked its nose into a garbage can.

"Over
here!"

Julia spun.
There was a figure coming out of a doorway. It was completely covered head
to toe in black clothing, including sunglasses and a scarf. The figure was
so tightly bundled up that Julia couldn't see any skin.

"Are you the
figure who sent the note?" Julia asked.

"Yes."

"What's with your voice?"

"It's an
electronic scrambler. Makes it so my voice is neither male nor female.
I can't take the chance of having my identity discovered, due to my position as
one of Mario's highest enforcers."

"You mean
thugs."

"Yes, if
you want to put it that way."

"Okay, cut
to the cheese. Why do you want to help me?"

"Because
like you, I've been hurt by Mario. He has messed with me before, many
years ago. You were with Mario for a short time, correct?"

"Yes, about
a month."

"Ah yes,
I remember you now. You weren’t shown Mario's true colors. On the
outside he was treating you very nicely. But on the inside, he's rotten to
the core. He loves messing with people's minds, twisting them and forcing
them to work for him."

"Why doesn't
anyone just kill him?"

"Because
he's too powerful. Plus, he spends most of his time at his secret mansion."

"Secret
mansion?"

"Yes.
I don't know where it is, but I've heard about what goes on in there. All
those who fail him usually go there, never to be seen again. What he did
to you was child's play compared to what he does to others."

Julia's hands
turned into fists. "All the more reason to kill him. How do I
find this mansion?"

"I don't
know where it is, but I do know who can lead you to him. There's a meeting
tonight at an abandoned warehouse near the bay. Mario's second to last
enforcer is going to be there. If you can get him to talk, you'll find out
where Mario's mansion is."

Julia nodded
silently, pondering the information.

"Like
you, I have been hurt by Mario. I want his reign of terror to end, and I'm
willing to sacrifice my life to do so."

"What about
Frank? Is he in danger?" The form was silent.

"I don't
know. Mario seems interested only in you. But be wary.
You don't know what he may try next."

Julia nodded.
"Thank you for your help." She turned and started to walk away.

"One last
thing."

"Yes?"

"Be very
careful Julia. Mario has eyes all over this city. He sees everything
that happens. He's been sending spies to watch you since the moment you
were fished out of the ocean. He's watching you all the time. Be
careful."

***

Julia didn't go
to Frank's house after the meeting, save for a quick trip to get her
tranquilizer pistol and sleeping gas grenades. She could have brought the
heavy toys, but she was more interested in being a little more…creative.

Although the
informant had avoided the question, Julia knew full well that Mario was most
likely targeting Frank. It was a basic rule of being a Godfather.
Always target the ones your thugs love and use them as a bargaining chip.

And though the
desire for revenge was very strong in her, other feelings had come up as well.
For kindness breeds kindness, and that was the case with Frank and Julia.
Frank had given her kindness, and she had felt the kindness beginning to spring
up inside her.

Slipping the gun
into her belt, Julia vowed not let anything happen to Frank. Even if she
had to kill someone to do it.

***

When night fell
upon the city, she ran through back alleys and streets, until she finally
reached the dock. The abandoned warehouse was in front of her, old, ragged
and ready to fall down at any moment by the looks of it. She took her time
sneaking inside, pistol in hand, ready to be used at a moment's notice. As
she went deeper and deeper into the complex, she heard voices. She climbed
a ladder and climbed up into the rafters.

Continuing her
sneaking, she crept through the girders until she reached the main storage area
of the warehouse. There were three thugs far below her, all wearing black
suits and glasses. She stopped, and listened to them.

"So Johnny,
is the boss pleased with how everything's going?"

"Yes.
He's very pleased. He sends his congratulations on your spying
abilities."

"Aw shucks,
it was nothing. So, what's next in the gameplan?"

"Mario wants
us to up the ante a little bit. Give Mrs. Julia a little shock to get her
going."

"What's she
been doing this evening?"

"One of our
spies called in to say that she was on her way here."

"Here?!" The other thug peered up into
the rafters, forcing Julia to take cover as best she could. "What are
we going to do?"

"That's
easy." Johnny said. "We'll show her how powerful Mario
really is." He looked at the third thug, who hadn't spoken.
"Bring him in."

He nodded, then
went into a small side door. He came out pushing someone in front of him,
someone frightened.

"Who are you
people?!" He shouted. "What do you want?!"

Julia gasped.
It was Joe, the other man from the boat.

"Oh nothing.
Just a little moment of your time. You're going to be the little prize for
Julia."

"Julia?
What does she have to do with this?!"

"That is
none of your concern. What is a concern is how quickly she gets here.
You see that camera up there?" Johnny the thug pointed towards a
camera in the rafters. "That's a direct feed to our boss. He's
watching this right now. And now, let's get you all set up."

Julia watched in
horror as the three thugs quickly tied Joe's hands behind his back, then tied
his ankles together. His tied ankles were attached to a chain, and the
chain pulled up into the air, taking Joe with it. The thugs maneuvered the
chain over to a hole in the floor, where the ocean was right underneath it.

"Now my
friend," Johnny said. "We'll slowly begin to lower you down into
the ocean. If Mrs. Julia does not rescue you in time, she'll loose one of
her friends." With that, a switch was hit, and ever so slowly, the
chain began to descend.

Joe squirmed and
thrashed on the chain, fighting his bonds. "Please don't do
this!" He shouted frantically. "Please don't! I have
a wife!"

"Yes, we
know. But Mario wants you to drown for his amusement."

"Amusement?!
What kind of psycho is he?"

"If you must
know, a godfather."

"Godfather?
You mean a mafia godfather?!"

Johnny smiled as
he took out a cigar and lit it. "You catch on quickly, don't you my
friend?"

The chain
continued it's slow descent, getting closer and closer to the dark water below.
Joe kept fighting his bonds, but could not escape them.

A few minutes
later, and he was ten feet above the water.

"You
know," The second thug said. "I heard that drowning is a
peaceful death. Of course, what do I know? I've never drowned!"
The thug pressed the switch for the chain, making it drop faster. Joe let
out a terrified scream as he plunged into the water. The switch was
pressed again, and it stopped, leaving Joe hanging upside down in water, unable
to breathe.

"I hope the
boss likes this." The thug said.

Another voice
spoke. "Oh, I'm sure he'll really like this."

Julia swung down
towards the three thugs on a chain. Her boots slammed into the second
thugs head, sending him flying across the room. Leaping off the chain,
Julia quickly pulled out her gun and fired at the third thug, sending a
tranquilizer dart into his neck.

Johnny pulled out
a sawed off shotgun and fired a blast at Julia, who quickly rolled behind a box.
"So…" Johnny said. "You must be Julia,
correct?"

"Your insight serves you well."

"Do you
remember me baby doll? I remember you. I was one of the guys who
wrapped you up before we put you in that casket and threw you into the
sea."

There was silence
from Julia.

"I must say,
you were oh so sexy as we wrapped you up. If you don't mind me saying, I'd
have been happy to use you right then and there, but you know how Mario is.
We thugs can't get our way, can't we? Tell me, how was it? Was it
cozy?"

Julia did not
reply.

Johnny the thug
looked over at the chain. "You know, your friend's probably run out
of air by now. If I were you, I'd hope that I can remember CPR."

This time, Julia
did respond. Johnny saw the small, round object coming towards him, but
before he could get out of it's way, it exploded.

Then all was darkness…

***

Julia ran out
from behind the box and dashed over to the control panel. Hitting the
switch, she watched as the chain came up, carrying a waterlogged body with it.
She was quick to bring the chain over the floor and deposit it's cargo on the
ground.

She ran over to Joe and flopped him on his back. His eyes were blank,
devoid of life. Julia pumped on his chest, trying to get the water out.
Three quick breaths to the mouth. More pumping on the chest. More
breaths.

For several minutes she kept going. But she soon realized that there was
nothing she could do. Joe was dead.

She slowly stood,
unable to speak, unable to cry. One of the men who had saved her life was
now dead. Gone. Murdered.

The camera on the
rafters kept filming, transmitting the feed to the unseen Godfather of New
York's crime circuit. Julia looked at it. It stopped, then whirred
as it zoomed in on her.

A thought came
into Julia's mind. If Mario wanted a show, he was going to get a show.

She turned and
began to go through the boxes stationed around the rafters. If this was a
warehouse, there had to be some of it somewhere…

***

About half an
hour later, Johnny woke up. Julia was waiting for him with a very smug look
on her face.

"Hello
Johnny. How are you today?"

WHUMP.

A loud kick to the head got Johnny's full attention. He instinctively
began to reach for his gun on the hip, but he quickly discovered that he
couldn't even reach in the first place. For his arms were behind his back,
wrapped up in layers upon layers of duct tape, fingers touching elbows in an
armbar.

And as Johnny
quickly discovered, his entire body was wrapped in layers upon layers of duct
tape. He was wrapped up like one of those Egyptian mummies he had seen
once at the museum. Only his eyes, nose and mouth were unwrapped. Instinctively he squirmed and tried to get free. But as he discovered,
movement was almost impossible. He could wiggle, but that was it.

A chill came over Johnny. He was helpless. He suddenly realized that
he was completely and utterly at the mercy of Julia. And by that smile on
her face, she knew it.

"What do you
want?" He asked through grimacing teeth. "Money? I
can give you money. How about fancy clothes? I can get you those
too."

WHUMP.

"No thank you. I only want information."

"About Mario?"

"My
my," she said. "You catch on quickly, don't you?"

"Don't bother Julia. You won't get anything from me!"

"Hmm?"
Julia sighed. "Well, if you insist. Then you can join your
friends over there."

Johnny looked up
to see his two fellow enforcers, who were in exactly the same predicament that
he was in. Each one wrapped into a body cocoon of silver duct tape,
completely unable to move. But unlike Johnny, their mouths and faces were
wrapped, silencing them.

"They're never going to speak again." Julia said
matter-of-factly. "You want to know why? Because they refused
to talk. Isn't that right boys?"

The two thugs squirmed and let out muffled mews. "You're not so tough
with your buddies to help you, aren't you?"

More mews and muffled shouts.

"Well
Johnny, still not going to talk?"

Johnny considered
his options. He could talk…but then Mario would probably get rid of him
in the most painful way he could imagine. No, it was better to stay
silent. "You'll never get me to talk." He taunted.

Julia looked at
him, then calmly walked over to the two helpless mummies lying on the floor.
She went over to one of them, the one who had brought Joe in. Holding up
his wrapped ankles, she showed the chain that was wound around him, and the
concrete slab that was attached to it.

Smiling, she took
the heavy concrete slab and shoved it into the hole and thus into the water
below.

The mummified
thug barely had time to give a muffled scream before he was yanked off the
floor, through the hole, and into the water below. Julia watched as his
silver form sank beneath the waves, then vanished.

Ignoring the
whimpering thug that was left, Julia walked over to Johnny. "You
still not going to talk?"

Johnny thought.

"Well?"

"I'm
thinking about it…"

"Well, while
you're doing that, I think I'll take care of our friend here." She
walked back over to the second thug, who let out a heavily muffled scream and
frantically tried to squirm away.

"Oh pipe down. You're not going to die…yet. It all depends if
your friend is willing to talk."

She took a
hanging chain and attached it to the thug's ankles. A quick tug, a button
press, and the thug was pulled into the air where he dangled like a Christmas
ornament.

Another button
press and he was maneuvered over the water, then left to hang there.

Another walk back
to Johnny. "Well, have you made up your mind?"

The mummified
thug pondered a few more seconds, then spoke. "Go to hell."

Julia smiled, but
didn't say anything. Johnny braced himself, but no kick came his way.

Instead, a chain
was attached to his ankles. And just like the second thug, he too was
hoisted into the air and put over the water.

With the two
thugs now hanging upside down over the ocean, Julia stood on solid ground.
Next to her were two chains, and a slab of concrete attached to each chain.

"Now, these
chains are for the two of you." She said quietly. "Johnny,
are you going to talk?"

"You had my answer."

Julia sighed.
"Very well." Taking the chain, she quickly wrapped it around the
neck of the second thug, who was now screaming hysterically behind his tape gag.
"There there," Julia cooed. "Just exhale when you hit the
water, and it'll be over faster."

The thug was
still screaming when the concrete slab was shoved into the water, taking him
with it. Johnny and Julia both watched as his mummified form hit the
water, instantly being dragged down deep into the ocean. In a few seconds,
he was gone.

"Such a waste." Julia sighed.
"Gone to a watery grave."

"You never
were good at killing." Johnny taunted. "Why the sudden
desire to do so?"

Julia stared at
him dead in the eye. "To stop evil, one must sometimes do things they
don't want to do. And to stop Mario, I need you to talk."

"I told you
Julia, I'm not going to talk. And I'm not afraid of dying. You might
as well drop me."

"Oh, I
could…but I wouldn't gain anything from that." She calmly reached
inside her trench coat and pulled out a knife. "But I could have my
fun with you for several hours, or several days. Depends on how much
you're willing to talk."

"I won't
talk!" Johnny said. "You know I won't!" But
despite his tough guy talk, Julia could see the sweat beginning to form.

"Well then,
we have all the time in the world." She said. "I can wait.
Why don't we start with your legs?"

With a quick
slice, she made an ever-so fine cut on Johnny's wrapped legs. Johnny
pressed his teeth and hissed, trying not to shout. Blood began to slowly
trickle from the hairline cut.

"You going
to talk?"

"Never!"

Slice. Red trickled from the back of his neck.

"How about
now?"

"No!"
The sweat was now pouring off Johnny's forehead. "I'll never talk,
you stupid, stupid bitch!"

Julia smiled.
A quick slap, and tape was pressed over his mouth. "Well, since that
won't get you to talk…" She spun him around so that his back was to
her. "This hurts me more then it hurts you."

Johnny's eyes widened in fear just as she cut through one of his tendons.
He let out an agonized shriek, heavily muffled by his tape gag. The mummy
thrashed on the chain as blood flowed from the back of his left ankle.

Julia calmly
knelt next to him and ripped off his gag. "How about now? If
you talk, I'll be merciful."

He glared at her,
pure hatred in his eyes. "You know…" He hissed through
the pain. "I should have fucked you on that pier. I should have
made you squirm, made you scream for mercy…" The tape was slapped
back on and the other tendon was cut as well.

Johnny's face turned beet red as he screamed into his gag. His forehead
was drenched in sweat, and he squirmed and thrashed in his cocoon, instinctively
trying to escape the pain.

"I need to
know where Mario is." Julia said quietly. "Now are you
going to talk or not?!"

Despite all of
his pain, despite all of the mind numbing agony that he was going through, he
still remembered what Mario did to squealers. No…that wouldn’t happen
to him…it wouldn't!

He glared at her,
his eyes burning with hate. Julia sighed. "Well then, I guess
I'll have to take drastic measures."

She spun him
around and cut away the tape near his groin. Reaching in, she pulled out
his genitals. "You obviously have some testosterone issues."
She said. "Why don't we solve those right now?"

Grabbing his left
testicle, she began to very slowly slice into the skin, drawing blood.

That was Johnny's breaking point. Unable to take any more, he screamed
into his gag "I'll talk! I'll talk!" Though Julia was not
able to understand the words, she got the meaning.

Kneeling down, she tore off the tape gag. "Talk now, or I will cut it
off."

"All right,
all right." Johnny gasped, his eyes dull with pain. "What
do you want to know?"

"Where is
Mario's hidden mansion?"

"It's…under
his penthouse. Go to the kitchen, and head down the basement
steps…you'll find it there."

Julia smiled.
"There. Now wasn't that easy?" She took the chain and
quickly wound it around Johnny's neck.

"Wait!"
He shouted as she buckled the chain in place. "You promised you would
be merciful!"

"I am."
She said. "I'm saving you from Mario's wrath." With that,
she shoved the concrete slab into the water. The chain holding Johnny up
snapped, and his mummified form plunged into the water, vanishing from sight,
joining his companions as he was taken to a watery grave.

Julia stared at
the water where the three thugs had fallen in. "Took you long
enough." She said. "Asshole."

***

As Julia walked
back to Frank's house, her mind was reeling. When she had been with Mario,
she hadn't discovered what happened to squealers. But what she had heard
from others within the Godfather's circle, they suffered a fate worse then
death.

Obviously, that
threat had kept Johnny silent up until the very end. But her mind quickly
switched gears. It was time to take her gear, head down to the mansion and
kill the godfather once and for all. Maybe she would make him suffer.

Frank's home came
into view. She walked up to it, wondering how she was going to explain her
long absence. He wasn't a bad man, Frank. In fact, he was rather
nice. He'd make a good husband. If she joined him, maybe they could
fish together, out in that ocean where she had been fished out from.

But not now. All that mattered was getting rid of Mario, getting rid of
the asshole who had tormented her long enough.

Strangely, the
front door to Frank's house was unlocked. And when she walked in the chill
was stronger then usual. Had he left a window open?

Walking into the
living room, she had her answer. The back door had been smashed open.
The dining table was overturned, furniture had been smashed, and groceries were
all over the floor. A broken jar of apple sauce was next to Julia's foot.

"They
came for him."

Grabbing her
tranquilizer pistol, Julia spun and saw the informant walking in the room.

"Mario?"

"Yes.
Apparently he wants to urge you on."

"But you
said Mario wasn't interested in Frank!"

"I thought so. But Mario is smarter then he looks. He
doesn't reveal what he has fully planned to anyone, not even me.
Apparently he was going after your friend after all."

Julia's teeth
grinded against each other, and some of the plastic on the tranquilizer gun's
grip cracked.

"I can
help you." The informant said. "Did Johnny tell you
where the mansion is?"

Julia regained
some of her composure. "After some persuading, yes. It's
beneath Mario's penthouse, apparently in the sewers."

"Of
course!" The informant's electronic voice said. "Why
didn't I think of that before?I'll go ahead and clear the path for
you. Take care of as much opposition as I can." The
informant started to leave the house.

"Wait!"
Julia said. "What do you want from me? What do I have to give
you for my help?"

The form buried
within all the dark clothing was silent. "Nothing. You owe
me nothing. I've waited
all this time to get rid of Mario. Like you, I want him dead. I want
his reign of terror stopped. Nothing less then his death can satisfy me.
Only then will my soul find peace."

As he left, the
figure stopped and asked one more thing. "What are you going to
do?"

Julia glared at
him. "I've got a rescue to do."

***

An hour later,
Julia walked into the large double doors of Mario's penthouse. In her left
hand was the tranquilizer gun. In her right was the paste gun. Her
long coat billowed behind her as she entered the house.

It was empty.
Where only a few weeks before there had been the sounds of partying, there were
now no sounds to greet her either. Nobody came forward to challenge her.
It was as silent as a tomb.

Wasting no time,
Julia went through the hallways, guns at the ready. She reached the
kitchen. Sure enough, a hidden door was wide open, waiting for her.
She started to enter, but then paused. This seemed too easy. Was it
a trap?

There was no way
of knowing. She could stand here…or she could go in. But there was
no way she was going back.

Taking a deep
breath, she stepped inside the doorway.

There was a long
staircase heading down. Gripping the handrail she went down the steps, her
path illuminated by bare lightbulbs dangling from the ceiling. It was at
that moment that she heard the first scream.

It wasn't loud. It was faint, but she could tell that it was coming from
somewhere ahead. But it wasn't a scream of pain. Rather, it was a
scream of despair.

At the end of the staircase she found an elevator, doors already open and
waiting for her.

She got in and
looked at the panel. There were only two buttons. Up and down.
But the up button was covered by a clear latch that was locked with a padlock.
Apparently, those who were down in Mario's mansion were staying down there.

She pressed the down button.

The doors closed,
motors ran, and the elevator began to go down. Slowly at first, then
faster and faster. For almost two minutes the elevator went down into the
area beneath New York City.

Taking a deep
breath, Julia focused herself. Frank was down here somewhere, and he
needed her help. She was also alone. Completely alone. No
allies, no one to count on except the informer, who was probably fighting his
way though somewhere up ahead.

The elevator came
to a stop. Another scream was heard, coming from somewhere ahead.
With a cheerful "ding" the doors opened. Taking a deep breath,
Julia pulled up her gun and stepped out of the elevator.

There was a
hallway in front of Julia, dimly lit by hanging chandeliers. But these
weren't ordinary chandeliers. They were really women, tied up, restrained,
hung from the ceiling, and with candleholders chained around them. They
were living ornaments.

Julia slowly walked out of the elevator, staring at the dangling women with both
fascination and fear.

"Well, hello
there!"

Julia spun, aiming her gun. But she saw that the voice belonged to a
lovely woman locked in a cage.

"Hello
there!" Julia spun, seeing another cage and another woman inside it.
Looking around, she saw that the entire hallway had steel cages embedded in the
walls, each holding a woman. And each woman was wearing a latex body
glove, and each was wearing handcuffs and leg cuffs.

"Who are
you?" Julia asked the nearest woman.

"Who, me?" She giggled. "Why,
my name is Ginger. I was one of Mario's assassins.

But after I botched up four tries, he sentenced me to
this cage for three years." She giggled madly. "I've been
in here for two. No days off, no time out, nothing." She held
up her wrists, showing the shiny handcuffs. "And these? They're
on twenty four hours a day!"

"And
me?" Another woman said. "I tried to leave Mario's circle.
So I got twenty five years in this cage for my troubles!" She laughed
madly, tugging at her ankle cuffs. "I've been trying to get these off
for years! And they won't!"

"But that's
not the worst of it!" Another woman said. "You see her,
over there?" Julia looked over at a cage. Inside was another
woman. She too, was wearing a latex suit, handcuffs and leg cuffs. "She
tried to kill Mario, isn't that right Maria?"

The woman didn't speak.

"She got life! She's been locked in that cage for the rest of her
life!" All the women began to laugh, their chains shaking as they
rolled around, laughing hysterically.

They were mad, Julia realized.

Running, she
sprinted to the end of the hallway, went through the heavy iron door and slammed
it shut. The women continued to laugh on the other side of it.

She was now on a
very large staircase. It was heading straight down to another doorway
about six stories below her. The sides of the walls were made of steel
bars. Behind the bars was a six foot gap and another solid wall.

What was in that
gap was another grim spectacle. There were dozens of figures hanging from
the ceiling. Some were naked and some were not. Some were wearing
gas masks, others were not. All of them were dangling from the ceiling,
either by chains, harnesses or cables. All were on display for anyone to
see.

Julia slowly started walking down the stairs, her guns at the ready. The
figures were completely silent. A few heads turned to look at her, but no
one spoke. These humans were completely silent.

Julia hurried
down the staircase as fast as she could, trying to get away from this horrible
scene. Only when she reached the door did the chained and hanging people
began to moan and scream. Only when she got through the door and locked it
did the screaming die down.

***

Taking a deep breath, Julia continued on. She went deeper and deeper into
Mario's horrible mansion, every hallway, every room containing bound people, poor
souls who had fallen under Mario's wrath.

Something told
her she hadn't even seen the worst of it.

It seemed as if
she went through the place for hours. Distant moans and screams of despair
were never far behind or ahead, but always out of sight. Where was Frank?
Julia thought. Was he chained up somewhere, suffering some untold torment?

There was only
one way to find out. Find the man in charge and get rid of him.

Fortunately,
every door Julia encountered was unlocked. The informant had obviously
been through here earlier. Where was he? Was he somewhere up ahead?

Then the
corridors stopped.

There was only
one door to go through. It was big, and it was made of solid wood, elegant
and refined. Something that sharply contrasted the despair this place had.

Julia's senses told her that Mario was behind that door, just waiting for her.
She reached out, and took hold of the doorknob. Slowly, she twisted it,
easing the door open.

And with that,
she went inside.

***

The room she
entered was dim, but not completely dark. It was very large, almost fifty
feet wide and who knew how long. The floors were solid concrete with holes
in them, all spaced evenly apart.

There were
candles on the walls, ever so slightly illuminating the room. As Julia
walked forward, she saw a desk, complete with a huge leather chair, it's back
facing her.

She knew who was sitting in it.

"Well well,
if it isn't the little rat himself."

There was no
answer. The chair didn't move.

"Come on out
Mario." Julia growled. "Unless you want me to shoot you
through that chair of yours."

The chair slowly
rotated until it faced Julia. But Mario wasn't in it.

Rather, the
informer was. His (her?) suited form sat in the chair, looking at her.

"You?"

The informer said
nothing.

"Are you Mario?" But no, it couldn't be, Julia thought.
The informer was too thin. Mario couldn't be the informer.

The person slowly
reached upwards and removed his/her hat, revealing bare skin beneath. The
scarf around the neck was unwrapped, and the electronic voice scrambler fell to
the floor.

Then the huge
goggles and head baklava came off, revealing who it was. Julia gasped.

"Frank!?!"

ZAP

***

"Well
Julia? Are you awake yet? I'm getting very impatient here."

As she came out of her tazer induced sleep, Julia
recognized that voice instantly.

"Mario…"

"Ah, so you
are awake. Very good! I was hoping you'd come around. After
all, we have so much fun to get to. Well…" He chuckled.
"Fun for me at least. I'm afraid you've come to the last stop in your
life."

Julia opened her
eyes and saw the godfather standing right in front of her, pudgy, grinning, and
with a cigarette in his mouth.

Instinctively she
tried to grab him, but found that while her arms could move, she couldn't get
them out from behind her back. To her horror, she found that she was
handcuffed. Her hands were useless now.

And looking down at her body, she saw the horror of what had happened. Her
body was once again wrapped from her chin to her toes in rolls and rolls of
bandages.

"Do you like the blue?" Mario asked, referring to the color of
the horse bandages that now encircled Julia. "I think it looks very
good on you."

Julia struggled
against her cuffs. Her arms and hands were wrapped up like the rest of her
body, but were not wrapped against her body. Apparently, Mario wanted to
watch her squirm.

He snapped his
fingers. Two thugs came over, grabbed Julia's shoulders and dragged her
across the smooth concrete floor towards the middle of the room. There was
a deep pit there, square in size. The thugs dropped her next to it.

"You see
this?" Mario asked, calmly walking up to it. "This is your
grave Julia. This is your tomb. In a matter of minutes you're going
to be sealed up and buried in it, never to be released. But you think I'm
going to kill you? No no, I'm not that merciful."

Julia peered down
into the square pit. Seven feet below lay a coffin, and a sarcophagus that
held the coffin. Several tubes went out of the sarcophagus and into the
sides of the pit. One long tube was on the lid of the sarcophagus, one
that went straight up to the top of the pit.

"You see
Julia, this entire room holds all of those who greatly offend or annoy me.
Using all my state of the art equipment, I entomb them in this room and keep
them alive for the rest of their lives. You see all those holes in the
floor? Those are breathing tubes, all of them going into these tombs,
enabling the people below to stay alive."

He started to walk around, smiling. "Some have been here for several
years. One fellow over here," He tapped on one piece of concrete.
"…Has been down there for thirty years. Still alive and still
going. Nobody's died yet, and it'll probably be another forty years before
any one of them do."

Mario turned and stared at Julia. "And you're about to join them.
I hope you like being mummified, because you're going to be like that for the
rest of your life." He smiled and cracked his neck. "Well,
I'm sure you are eager to be entombed again, so let's get too it."

***

Shock dulled Julia, made her numb, made her dumb. After all she had gone
though, after all she had done, after all the bloodthirsty thoughts…and here
she was, a prisoner again, about to be entombed for life. There would be
no release from this casket. There would be no boat, no net, no
fisherman…

Frank. She
turned and looked at him. He was standing there, silently watching the
whole scene. His normally expressive face was now dim, empty of life.
He looked dead.

"Why
Frank?" Julia asked at last. "Why?"

"Ah yes, I
love these little moments." Mario said cheerfully. "Don't
the ones you love always hurt you the worst? Such it is here."

Mario walked up to his mummified and cuffed captive. "You want to
know the whole story? Fine. I'll tell you. When I shoved you
into the ocean, I didn't plan on keeping you down there forever. So I
dispatched my top hitman Frank here, to go and pick you up.”

“After giving
him the coordinates, he did rather well in finding you. Then he slowly
began to edge away at you. Your skin restoration shots? Those were
really nothing but a chemical that made the grey more permanent. The
informant? That was my orders too. Lure you into slowly finding your
way in here, so that I can savor this sweet, sweet moment when you realize that
you've been nothing but a pawn in a game all for my amusement."

Julia stared at
him.

"The goons
you killed? No matter. I can get more. I've always gotten more
whenever I needed them. Johnny, he knew what would happen if he squealed
on me. He would have gotten a special place in that tomb there."
Mario pointed to another open tomb. Instead of a coffin, this one had a
small underground room. "But I admit, your actions surprised me.
I never expected to kill anyone in cold blood."

He leaned in
close. "But despite all your efforts, you still failed."
He whispered. "When you're lying in your tomb for the next sixty
years, don't you ever forget that I always win."

Julia looked at Frank. "Was falling in love with me part of your
orders too?" She didn’t bother holding back the sting in her words.

"No, no,
that was an unexpected factor." Mario said. "I never
planned for that to happen. But isn't it better to have loved and lost,
then to never loved at all? Bah, I don't care. Time to get this over
with."

As he reached
over to kick Julia into the tomb, he was surprised by her wrapped arm punching
him in the ankle, knocking him to the floor.

"What the…"

"You forget
Mario," Julia said as she threw her handcuffs off. "That I have
tiny wrists."

With that, Julia
made a lunge upwards and leapt into a standing position.

Spinning, she saw
a gun lying on Mario's desk. With her legs wrapped together, all she could
do was hop across the concrete floor, heading towards the gun, trying to work
her fingers through their wrappings.

Mario was
surprisingly fast, getting back onto his feet in a manner of seconds.
"Stop her!" He shouted.

Frank looked at Julia. But before he could make one move, Julia did a
quick Karate chop on his neck, hitting one of his nerves. Yelping in pain,
he fell onto the floor.

"Shit!"
Mario shouted.

A few more hops
and Julia reached the desk. She barely managed to work two of her fingers
through the ball wrappings on her fist. Grabbing the pistol, she turned
and aimed at Mario. Moving her wrapped fingers as fast as she could, she
squeezed the trigger.

A bullet flew out
of the chamber. But Mario was quicker then he looked. He leapt into
the air and dodged the shot just as Julia pulled the trigger again.

Again and again Julia fired. But Mario somehow got ahead of each bullet.
"You always were a terrible shot!" He shouted.

Click. The
gun stopped firing. Julia gulped. All the bullets were gone.

Seizing his
chance, Mario sprinted across the room and tackled Julia. Slamming into
the ground, Mario pinned the mummified woman to the floor with his weight.
"Well…" He hissed. "I guess burying you and keeping
you alive would be too merciful. Time to try something else…"

***

Five minutes
later Julia was dangling in her pit, her wrists locked into dangling steel
manacles that hung from the ceiling. Mario operated a remote control,
lowering her deeper and deeper into her pit, until her neck was level with the
floor.

"Now for the
finishing touch." Mario said. "Instead of burying you
completely, I'll just entomb you up to your neck. That way you can look at
me for the rest of your life. Doesn't that sound wonderful?"

Julia stared at
Mario. With her mouth how holding a feeding and breathing tube that were
wrapped into her, it was impossible to speak, now, or for the rest of life.

But she could still look. She looked at Frank, who was silently standing
next to the Godfather. "Please Frank!" She silently
shouted. "Please help me!"

Frank looked at
Julia, his face emotionless, blank. He looked dead. Both physically
and emotionally.

Grinning, Mario
pressed a button. Liquid concrete began to pour into the pit at rapid
speed, quickly filling it. The level of the bubbly liquid rose second by
second. Soon it reached Julia's wrapped legs and engulfed them. Then
it reached her hips. Then her chest. Then her breasts.

Then the goopy liquid reached her neck. With that, Mario stopped the
cement. "Well my dear." He said pleasantly.
"You have about three minutes before that concrete hardens. And once
it does, you'll be sealed in permanently. No amount of chiseling will ever
get you out. Hmm…well, I'll have to think hard of ways to torment you
for the next sixty years. So much time, and so many ways to torture
you…"

Already Julia
could feel the concrete beginning to harden around her. She frantically
wiggled, tears coming out of her eyes, mixing into the rapidly hardening
concrete.

Frank swung a
fist at Mario's head and slammed the Godfather in the base of his neck.
With a loud yelp the man fell. Grabbing the remote control, Frank pressed
a button. The chains that held Julia's hands above her head began to yank
her upwards.

But the concrete was strong, it's hold on Julia almost complete. But the
chains pulled, trying to get her out. Julia watched, unable to do
anything.

Mario was getting
back onto his feet. But Frank was faster. Punching and kicking the
Godfather, he shoved the man back. Mario countered by kicking Frank in the
gut, stunning him momentarily.

He got to his feet with frightening speed. "I am going to hurt you so
much!" He growled. "I’m going to make you beg for death
to claim you!"

Frank simply
smiled. "I don't think so."

Giving a sudden
yell, Frank leapt into the air and kicked Mario dead in the chest. Mario
staggered backwards to the edge of an open pit, wavered for a moment, then fell
in with a yell.

There was a loud
bang as the heavy thug landed. Frank didn't even wait. Pressing the
button on the remote control, a cement tube descended from the ceiling and
poured liquid concrete into the pit.

As the chains
pulled Julia out of her tomb, she could faintly hear something she had never
heard before. Mario screaming. The concrete poured into the pit, and
his screams were silenced.

A few more
moments and the concrete reached the top of the pit, where the tube stopped
pouring. A few bubbles popped on the surface, but otherwise the pit was
still.

Frank stood there
at the edge of the pit for three minutes, watching as the liquid concrete turned
into hardened cement, sealing Mario in his tomb for all time.

Julia watched him
from her odd position. Her hands chained above her, wrapped up, dangling
and dripping with semi-hardened concrete. With the tubes in her mouth, she
was silent.

At last Frank came over to her. His face was different now. There
was regret in his eyes. Shame too. And joy as well. Lowering
Julia to the floor (But not enough for her wrapped feet to stand on the ground),
he wordlessly removed the tubes from her mouth.

The first words
out of Julia's mouth were simple. "Why? Why did you do it
Frank? Why did you double cross me this entire time?"

For a few moments
Frank was silent. "For my children. I did it for my
children."

That shocked
Julia. "You have kids?"

"Yes."
He said quietly. "I've only seen them once. A year ago, when my
wife gave birth to them. But shortly after that, Mario took them from me,
and killed my wife for refusing to kill an important target. He buried her
at sea, the same thing he did to you."

Julia looked at
him, at a loss for words.

"Mario said
that if I did what he told me to do, my kids wouldn't be harmed. So that's
why I went along with him. His ordering me to pose as a sea captain and
pick you up so he could keep toying with you. His ordering me to keep your
skin grey with those injections. His ordering to pose as an informant to
set up this big betrayal. All of it, all of it was for my kids."

Any anger Julia
had towards Frank began to melt away like dew in the hot sun.

"And Joe's
death was the last straw. I couldn't take it anymore. I had to kill
the bastard. But I had to keep my cover up so I could get in and take my
revenge when he didn't expect it. But now…now that that monster is gone,
I can finally find my kids."

Frank looked at
Julia. "Julia…I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry for everything.
I'm sorry for the lies, I'm sorry for the pain I've caused you."

Julia knew what was coming next.

"Can…no, I
shouldn’t…I don't deserve it."

She smiled, and
for the first time that day, she felt good. "Yes Frank. I
forgive you."

Frank looked at
her, his shame and his weakness gone, washed away by Julia's words.

And for the first
time in such a long time, he felt…free…light…and…happy.

"Well
then…" He sighed. "I guess I'm going to go find my kids.
Right after I cut all these people out of the walls and the floor."

"I"?
Excuse me buddy, but what do you mean, "I"? Shouldn't it be
"We?" "

Frank looked at
Julia. "You mean…"

"Yep.
I want to come with you."

Frank sighed, and
he felt laughter rising in him. "Well, okay! Why don't I start
cutting these people out? Mario of course will remain here for the rest of
his life after we seal this whole place, but there's no reason everyone else
down here can't breathe the sweet air again."

"Uhm, excuse
me, but aren't you forgetting something?"

"Hmm?"

Julia shook,
making her wrist manacles clink. "Oh, I don't know." Frank
said. "You look rather good. You know, all mummified, chained
and dangling like that. I could leave you like that for a while."

The two shared a hearty laugh as Frank lowered Julia completely to the ground
and released the chain on her cuffs. He started to unlock her wrist
manacles when she shook her finger.

"No."
She whispered seductively. "Leave them on."

Frank looked at
her. "Are you suggesting…"

"Oh you
betcha."

Franks eyebrow
raised, and a big smile came over his face.

"Well, I
guess these folks can wait just a little bit longer…"

Without another
word he scooped the mummified and chained woman into his arms and lifted her up.
They began to walk away into the kinky side rooms of Mario's underground
mansion. Maybe find a nice cage somewhere and have a little…fun.

"Oh by the
way," Frank said as he carried Julia. "Mario and I were lying
earlier. That skin condition of yours isn't permanent. A few
injections and your skin should be back to normal."

Julia laughed,
grabbed his head and kissed him. Frank had to focus on keeping Julia safe
in his grip as he quivered under her kiss.

No more crime for the both of them, that was for certain. The dismantling
of the now entombed Mario's crime ring? Yes. Finding the kids?
Yes. Starting a family together? Most definitely.

But for now, they could relax and enjoy each other's company.

After all, they had earned it.

23.07.06

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